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Abstract:

Devices communicate with one another over a wireless channel according to
a signal strength of a signal transmitted over the wireless channel.
Digital data captured at a source is transmitted over the wireless
channel at a first quality if the signal strength or latency is above a
threshold and at a second quality if the signal strength or latency is
below the threshold. In addition, noise can be inserted into the
transmitted digital data as a way to alert the recipient of the signal of
signal strength degradation at a finer granularity.

Claims:

1. A system, comprising: first and second communication devices
configured to communicate with one another over a wireless channel; and a
signal strength detection module configured to detect a signal strength
of a signal transmitted over the wireless channel, wherein the second
communication device is configured to send digital data of a first
quality to the first communication device if the signal strength is above
a threshold and to send digital data of a second quality to the first
communication device if the signal strength is below the threshold, the
second quality being lower than the first quality.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first communication device
comprises a controller for a robotic device and the second communication
device comprises the robotic device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first communication device further
comprises a display to display the digital video data.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the digital video data of the second
quality has a lower frame rate than that of the digital video data of the
first quality.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the digital video data of the second
quality has a lower display or color resolution than that of the digital
video data of the first quality.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the digital video data of the second
quality has a lower contrast than that of the digital video data of the
first quality.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein a first portion of the digital video
data is transmitted at the first quality while a second portion of the
digital video data is transmitted at the second quality, the first
portion and the second portion being transmitted simultaneously.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the data comprises digital audio data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the digital audio data of the second
quality comprises a lower sampling frequency than the digital audio data
of the first quality.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal strength detection module
detects the signal strength of the signal transmitted from the second
communication device to the first communication device over the wireless
channel, and the first communication device communicates the signal
strength to the second communication device over the wireless channel.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal strength detection module
detects the signal strength of the signal transmitted from the first
communication device to the second communication device over the wireless
channel.

13. A system, comprising: first and second communication devices
configured to communicate with one another over a wireless channel,
wherein at least one of the communication devices is configured to detect
a latency of a signal transmitted over the wireless channel; and the
second communication device is configured to send digital data of a first
quality to the first communication device if the latency is above a
threshold and to send digital data of a second quality to the first
communication device if the latency is below the threshold, the first
quality being lower than the second quality.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first communication device
comprises a controller for a robotic device and the second communication
device comprises the robotic device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the digital data comprises digital
video data, and the digital video data of the first quality has a lower
frame rate than that of the digital video data of the second quality.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein a first portion of the digital data
is transmitted at the first quality while a second portion of the digital
data is transmitted at the second quality, the first portion and the
second portion being transmitted simultaneously.

17. A system, comprising: first and second communication devices
configured to communicate with one another over a wireless channel; and a
signal strength detection module configured to detect a signal strength
of a signal transmitted over the wireless channel; wherein the second
communication device is configured to insert noise into digital data to
be transmitted to the first communication device, the amount of noise
inserted into the digital data based in part on the signal strength.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the amount of noise inserted into the
digital data is inversely related to the signal strength.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the data comprises digital video
data, and the inserted noise reduces the quality of the digital video
data.

20. A method of adjusting a quality of digital data transmitted over a
wireless channel according to a signal strength of a signal transmitted
over the wireless channel, comprising: capturing digital data with a
recording device; transmitting digital data representative of the
captured digital data over a wireless channel for reproduction by an
output device, the transmitted digital data being of a first quality if
the signal strength is above a threshold and of a second quality if the
signal strength is below the threshold.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the captured digital data comprises
digital video data, and wherein the transmitted digital data of the first
quality has the same video quality as that of the captured digital data
and the transmitted digital data of the second quality has a lower video
quality than that of the captured digital data.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: generating the digital
data representative of the captured digital data to be of the second
quality by reducing one of a frame rate, a display resolution, and a
color resolution of the captured digital data.

24. A method of altering digital video data captured at a source and
transmitting the altered digital video data to a destination over a
wireless channel according to a signal strength of a signal transmitted
over the wireless channel, comprising: inserting noise into the digital
video data captured at the source according to the signal strength,
wherein an increased amount of noise is inserted if the signal strength
decreases and a decreased amount of noise is inserted if the signal
strength increases; and transmitting the digital video data having the
noise inserted therein to the destination.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising adjusting a quality of the
digital video data captured at the source according to the signal
strength, wherein the transmitted digital data is a first quality if the
signal strength is above a threshold and is a second quality if the
signal strength is below the threshold.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent
application entitled "Method of Displaying a Digital Signal," filed on
Oct. 24, 2011, having application Ser. No. 61/550,745, which is
incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0002] This disclosure relates in general to wireless communication
systems and methods, and more specifically to a new and useful system and
method for displaying a digital signal.

[0003] Operators of communication devices can be distracted from their
communications if they are constantly monitoring for signal strength. As
an example, when an operator controls a robot with a remote controller,
the operator may need to monitor signal strength, but this can divert the
operator's attention and affect the operator's focus on the precise
operation and control of the robot.

SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments disclosed herein adjust the data rate or the quality of
data being sent over a wireless channel in response to a detection of
reduced signal strength over the channel, and can also improve latency. A
system according to one embodiment includes a first communication device
and a second communication device configured to communicate with one
another over a wireless channel, and a signal strength detection module
configured to detect a signal strength of a signal transmitted over the
wireless channel, wherein the second communication device is configured
to send digital data of a first quality to the first communication device
if the signal strength is above a threshold and to send digital data of a
second quality to the first communication device if the signal strength
is below the threshold, the second quality being lower than the first
quality. A system according to another embodiment includes a first
communication device and a second communication device configured to
communicate with one another over a wireless channel, and a signal
strength detection module configured to detect a signal strength of a
signal transmitted over the wireless channel, wherein the second
communication device is configured to insert noise into digital data to
be transmitted to the first communication device, and the amount of noise
inserted into the digital data is based in part on the signal strength.

[0005] A system according to another embodiment includes a first
communication device and a second communication device configured to
communicate with one another over a wireless channel, wherein at least
one of the communication devices is configured to detect a latency of a
signal transmitted over the wireless channel, and the second
communication device is configured to send digital data of a first
quality to the first communication device if the latency is above a
threshold and to send digital data of a second quality to the first
communication device if the latency is below the threshold, the first
quality being lower than the second quality.

[0006] A method of adjusting a quality of digital data transmitted over a
wireless channel according to a signal strength of a signal transmitted
over the wireless channel includes the steps of capturing digital data
with a recording device and transmitting digital data representative of
the captured digital data over a wireless channel for reproduction by an
output device, the transmitted digital data being of a first quality if
the signal strength is above a threshold and of a second quality if the
signal strength is below the threshold.

[0007] A method of altering digital video data captured at a source and
transmitting the altered digital video data to a destination over a
wireless channel according to a signal strength of a signal transmitted
over the wireless channel includes the steps of inserting noise into the
digital video data captured at the source according to the signal
strength, wherein an increased amount of noise is inserted if the signal
strength decreases and a decreased amount of noise is inserted if the
signal strength increases, and transmitting the digital video data having
the noise inserted therein to the destination.

[0008] Numerous technical advantages are provided according to various
embodiments of the present disclosure. Particular embodiments of the
disclosure may exhibit none, some, or all of the advantages depending on
the implementation.

[0009] Other technical advantages of the present disclosure will be
readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures,
descriptions, and claims. Moreover, while specific advantages are
enumerated, various embodiments may include all, some, or none of the
enumerated advantages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] So that the manner in which the above recited features of the
present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular
description of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be
had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the
appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings
illustrate only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and are
therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the present
disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

[0011]FIG. 1 illustrates the perceived quality of a video transmission
plotted against signal strength for both analog and digital video.

[0018]FIG. 8 illustrates the amount of noise artifacts introduced into
digital video signals of different bit rates in relation to signal
strength.

[0019]FIG. 9 is a flowchart that illustrates a method of displaying a
digital signal according to one embodiment.

[0020]FIG. 10 is a flowchart that illustrates a method of displaying a
digital signal according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In the following description, numerous specific details are set
forth to provide a more thorough understanding of embodiments of the
disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that
embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific
details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described
in order to avoid obscuring embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] A receiver that receives an analog signal will notice an increase
in noise as signal strength decreases. A decrease in signal strength
could be caused by an increase in the distance between a transmitter and
the receiver or by interference on a communication channel established
between the transmitter and the receiver. The analog signal will degrade
as the noise slowly overcomes the signal. A user monitoring the signal
(e.g., watching video transmitted wirelessly) will be able to do so until
it becomes so faint that it is completely washed out by the noise. For
digital signals, digital signal processing (DSP) technology may apply
filters, transforms, error correction, compression, and other techniques
to improve signal-to-noise ratio and maintain a steady data rate as the
noise level changes. However, this can cause a sudden drop-off (or
cut-off) of the data rate to zero when the digital signal is overcome by
noise. A user monitoring a digital video transmission will see a high
quality image, and then when the signal is overcome with noise, the image
will disappear completely and suddenly. To overcome this, certain
embodiments disclosed herein intentionally reduce the data rate of the
digital transmission as noise increases or signal strength decreases so
that the received signal appears to slowly degrade, much like an analog
signal, which also can preserve latency of the signal. For applications
requiring low latency, the data rate can be reduced in order to preserve
a certain latency, such that a signal is transmitted at a lower quality
but with less latency, or as little latency as possible. This reduced
data rate can also allow for bandwidth to be preserved for transmitting
other information. In some embodiments, other characteristics of the
transmission may be adjusted to further signal the user, such as color
resolution. In other embodiments, noise artifacts can be introduced in
inverse proportion to the signal strength to provide the user an
indication of signal strength. In other embodiments, noise artifacts can
be introduced in proportion to latency to provide the user an indication
of latency.

[0023]FIG. 1 illustrates the perceived quality of a video transmission
plotted against signal strength for both analog and digital video.
Although the figure describes video signals, similar effects can be
observed for audio signals, control signals, or any other communication
signal. As shown, analog video decays gradually until it reaches a point
where it becomes unusable, whereas digital video can maintain a certain
quality and then drop off abruptly, often without warning to the user
monitoring the transmission.

[0024] In certain applications, the "digital drop-off" can lead to
unfortunate results. As one example, a law enforcement officer outside a
building may be using a robot containing a video camera and a robot
controller to inspect the interior of the building. As the robot
navigates various hallways and rooms in the building, the number of walls
and other obstructions between the controller and the robot might
increase, which in turn can increase the noise in the video signal. With
an analog video signal, the officer can see the video quality gradually
decreasing as noise increases. The officer may want to take appropriate
actions to prevent the loss of the signal entirely; e.g., by reversing
the path of the robot and returning it closer to the officer. With a
digital video signal, the officer may not notice any degradation in video
signal quality until the digital drop-off occurs. When this occurs, the
lack of a video signal from the robot can make it difficult or impossible
for the officer to direct the robot to a location where communication can
be re-established. A lower latency signal would also enable officers to,
react or respond better or faster to situations they may encounter. Other
applications requiring low latency can be any application where remote
operation requires human control, such as robots in space, surgical
robots, remote controlled robots like the RoboteX avatar system, or any
other suitable application. Embodiments of the present disclosure
intentionally decrease the data rate and thus the potential reproduction
quality of the video signal as noise increases so that the user of the
system, through the degradation of the video quality, is warned of the
potential drop-off of the signal. Adjusting the data rate can also
reserve bandwidth for other wireless communications besides the video
signal, such as control signals. Certain embodiments may decrease the
data rate or other determinants of quality to lower the latency of a
signal. As latency improves, the data rate of the signal may be increased
so that a higher quality signal is transmitted.

[0025] In FIG. 2, the perceived quality of a video transmission is plotted
against signal strength for analog video and multiple bit rates of
digital video. As signal strength decreases, the data rate for the
digital signal is lowered to lower the video quality, which visually
alerts the user that signal strength is decreasing and also can reserve
bandwidth for non-video communications in some embodiments. In FIG. 2,
data rate A is shown to be higher than data rate B, and both are shown to
be higher than data rate C. A higher data rate will generally correspond
with a higher quality of video transmission. Any number of different data
rates can be used in various embodiments. A larger number of data rates
allows for more levels of video quality that can be used to alert the
user of the signal strength. It is worth noting that the latency can be
better preserved at the lower data rates.

[0026] In some embodiments, a lower bit rate may show up as pixelation in
a digital video frame. The viewer can use the level of pixelation to
approximate signal strength and make appropriate decisions. In other
embodiments, color depth and/or color palette (referred to herein as
"color resolution") can be adjusted to communicate to the viewer that the
signal strength is decreasing. The viewer of the video signal will notice
the color adjustments and that will serve as a warning that the signal
strength is decreasing, and that the signal may be in danger of being
lost completely.

[0027]FIG. 3 illustrates a robot and controller system 10 configured to
implement embodiments of the present disclosure. System 10 comprises a
controller 20 and a robotic system 30. Controller 20 may comprise any
type of controller for communicating wirelessly with robotic system 30.
In one example embodiment, controller 20 comprises a controller for a
RoboteX Avatar® II robot. Controller 20 includes an antenna 22 for
wireless communication that is configured to send and receive data,
including video data, audio data, and control data for robotic system 30,
and a signal strength detector (or signal strength detection module).
Controller 20 may have one or more antennas 22 and a signal strength
detector for each antenna, and the antennas may be external or internal
antennas. Controller 20 also includes a display 24. Display 24 may be any
type of display or output device, including a touch-screen display.
Display 24 may also support split screen viewing of multiple camera
systems, which would allow for a single controller 20 to control more
than one controlled device simultaneously. The display also allows
controller 20 to display multiple video feeds from a single robotic
system 30. As shown, controller 20 includes a number of buttons 26 used
to perform various operations and operate various features on the
controlled device, one or more joysticks 28, such as joysticks 28a and
28b, for controlling movement of robotic system 30 or for controlling
accessories associated with robotic system 30, such as cameras or
manipulator arms, and a two-way speaker/microphone 23 for communicating
remotely with people, animals, objects, etc., at or near robotic system
30.

[0028] Controller 20 also includes a number of internal components (not
shown) for providing functionality in system 10, such as one or more
computer processing chips configured to perform functions associated with
system 10, one or more memory modules for storing data, a GPS or other
location detecting module, and hardware for accessing cellular networks
for sending and/or receiving voice or data. Controller 20 further
includes any number of audio or video components for sending, receiving,
displaying, outputting, or processing audio or video data, and hardware
and/or software operable to communicate over a wireless channel.
Controller 20 may also include hardware, software, or a combination of
hardware and software to measure the latency of a signal sent over the
wireless channel. In one embodiment, signal strength is measured (using
any known hardware or techniques) and used to derive a latency
measurement. In another embodiment, robotic system 30 sends beacon
messages to controller 20, which controller 20 bounces back. The time
between the transmission and receipt of these messages can be used to
calculate latency.

[0029] In one example, the robot persistently sends beacon messages to the
controller. The controller bounces the messages back, and the time
between these events (T) is measured. This value is then used to
calculate an average latency (L) as follows:

L'=(w*T)+((1-w)*L).

[0030] In the formula, L' is the updated latency and L is the previous
latency. The initial value of L for the first iteration is 0. Also, w
represents a weighting factor. In one implementation, the value of w that
is used is different depending on whether T is greater than L or not.
When T>L, weighting factor w1 is used. When T<=L, weighting factor
w2 is used. In this embodiment, w1>w2. The weighting factor is used so
that the average latency is pulled up quicker than it is pulled down. The
purpose of this is to dampen oscillations that can occur with the dynamic
quality adjustment (since adjusting the quality of the video can affect
the latency measurement).

[0032] In this example embodiment, robotic device 30 collects video via
camera 32 or camera 38 and transmits it wirelessly to controller 20,
where a user can view the video on display 24. Audio and other data can
also be collected and transmitted wirelessly. Controller 20 monitors the
strength of the signal received from robotic system 30 using the signal
strength detector. In some embodiments, controller 20 may monitor the
latency of the signal instead of, or in addition to, monitoring signal
strength. Upon receipt of the signal and determining its signal strength
(and/or measuring the latency of the signal), controller 20 communicates
the signal strength to robotic device 30, and robotic device 30 in
response thereto adjusts the data rate of the video signal being
transmitted wirelessly to controller 20 as described above in conjunction
with FIG. 2. The lower data rate for video can improve the latency of the
signal (e.g. improve the average latency and reduce latency jitter), and
can also allow some bandwidth to be reserved for other wireless data
transmissions from robotic device 30 to controller 20.

[0033]FIG. 4 illustrates how the resolution of an image can be reduced to
alert a user of decreasing signal strength. The three images shown in
FIG. 4 represent example screenshots of video received and displayed on
display 24. Image A is the first example image, and it shows a star being
generated from a video signal that is transmitted at a high data rate.
Image B is the second example image, and it shows the star being
displayed from a video signal that is transmitted at a lower data rate
than the data rate of a video signal that generated Image A. As shown,
the lower data rate of the transmission has created a pixelated image of
the star in Image B. The third example image is Image C. The video signal
that generated Image C is transmitted at a lower data rate than the data
rate of the video signal that generated Image B. As shown, Image C is a
block that is roughly the same size of the star in Image A and in roughly
the same location, but it is otherwise of a low quality. Movement of the
objects in Image A, Image B, or Image C can occur with approximately the
same latency. If a user were controlling a device, the user would
recognize the movement and be able to respond quickly to the movement due
to the reduced latencies achieved by transmitting reduced resolution
images. Thus the functionality of the system can be preserved with lower
latencies.

[0034] It should be recognized that a reduced resolution image can provide
other advantages for a user of the system. A reduced resolution image can
be used by an operator of a robot to navigate around obstacles or make
decisions in a stressful or dangerous situation, where a low resolution
image is better than no image at all. The reduced resolution image can
also preserve bandwidth to be allocated for other communications, such as
navigation instructions from the controller to the robot. The reduced
resolution image can be accompanied by a lower latency to allow for
greater functionality of the system.

[0035]FIG. 5 illustrates the amount of noise artifacts introduced into a
digital video signal in relation to signal strength. Although the figure
describes video data, similar effects can be observed for audio signals.
As noted above, analog video decays gradually until it reaches a point
where it becomes unusable, whereas digital video can maintain a certain
quality and then drop off abruptly, often without warning to the user
monitoring the transmission. In the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 5,
noise (or noise artifacts) is inserted into a digital signal being
transmitted to visually warn the recipient of the signal, through
corresponding degradation in the reproduced video, that the transmission
may be in danger of being cut off due to the digital drop-off This
inserted noise can subtly notify the user that the signal strength is
decreasing, and the user can take appropriate actions before reaching the
digital drop-off This process emulates (for a digital signal) the effect
of decreasing signal strength on an analog signal.

[0036] As seen in FIG. 5, increasing levels of noise are inserted in a
manner that is inversely proportional to signal strength. That is, as
signal strength decreases, the amount of noise inserted increases.
Conversely, as signal strength increases, the amount of noise inserted
decreases.

[0038]FIG. 7 illustrates sample digital video frames that have varying
amounts of noise artifacts introduced into a portion thereof. Image A
represents a digital video frame without any noise artifacts inserted.
Image B and Image C represent digital video frames with noise artifacts
inserted into a bottom right corner thereof, with fewer noise artifacts
inserted in the digital video frame of Image B. In this example, the
noise is not inserted into the entire image frame but instead it is
inserted into a portion of the frame. Inserting the noise into the corner
of the image or in another non-intrusive location allows the user to see
most of the image without noise while still being able to monitor the
signal strength via the visually perceived noise level in the corner of
the image.

[0039]FIG. 8 illustrates the amount of noise artifacts introduced into
digital video signals of different bit rates in relation to signal
strength. As signal strength decreases, the data rate for the digital
video signal is lowered to lower the video quality, which visually alerts
the user that signal strength is decreasing, and reserve bandwidth for
non-video communications. In FIG. 8, data rate A is higher than data rate
B, and both are higher than data rate C. In addition to lowering data
rates, noise artifacts are introduced into a digital video signal in
relation to signal strength to alert the user that signal strength is
decreasing at a finer granularity. For example, the insertion of noise
artifacts will alert the user of signal strength increase or decrease at
all points within region A, at all points within region B, and at all
points within region C, and not just across region boundaries.

[0040] In another example embodiment, a portion of the data can be
transmitted at a high quality and a portion can be transmitted at a lower
quality. This embodiment could be useful in a variety of situations. For
example, the transmission range for video data may have increased and
that would necessitate a lower data rate for the video being transmitted.
However, one portion of the video image being transmitted may be more
important than the rest of the image. The more important portions can be
transmitted with a higher data rate or data quality, and the other
portions could be transmitted with a lower data rate or data quality. As
one example, a police officer may be using a remote video system for
surveillance inside a building. The officer may be viewing a criminal
suspect and would like to receive a higher quality transmission of the
suspect's face, and be willing to accept a lower quality transmission of
the other parts of the image, such as the background of the image. This
system could initiate appropriate video capture and processing to
transmit a portion of the video showing the suspect's face at a high
resolution and the rest of the video at a lower resolution.

[0041]FIG. 9 is a flowchart that illustrates a method 100 of displaying a
digital signal according to one embodiment. In particular, the
illustrated method reduces the quality of transmitted digital video data
when a reduction in the strength of the signal containing the transmitted
digital video data is detected. Reducing the quality of digital video
data can serve as an indicator to the viewer of the video that the
reduction in the strength of the signal containing the transmitted
digital video data has occurred, while also minimizing any perceived
latency of the signal. Perceived latency can include signal latency
and/or data packet drop rate. The steps illustrated in FIG. 9 may be
combined, modified, or deleted where appropriate. Additional steps may
also be added to the example operation. Furthermore, the described steps
may be performed in any suitable order.

[0042] Method 100 begins with Step 110. In Step 110, signal strength is
measured or monitored at a display device using any appropriate signal
strength detector. In the embodiment illustrated herein, the display
device is part of a wireless controller configured to control a mobile
device that captures video and transmits the captured video back to the
wireless controller for display using the display device. In other
embodiments, the display device may be a part of a mobile or desktop
computing device configured to control the mobile device. The signal
strength that is measured may include transmission power or bandwidth
latency.

[0043] In Step 120, the measured signal strength is communicated to a
recording device, which may include a video camera. One example is the
RoboteX Avatar® II robot, which is able to capture video with a
front-mounted drive camera or a 360-degree camera. In Step 130, video
data is captured with the recording device at the native resolution of
the recording device. The captured video data is stored in any
appropriate location, e.g., locally in a storage unit of the recording
device.

[0044] In Step 140, a transmission quality of video data at the recording
device is adjusted based on the signal strength communicated by the
wireless controller. If the signal strength is below a threshold, the
captured video data is transformed into a lower quality video. For
example, the frame rate or resolution of the video data can be reduced.
If the signal strength is above the threshold, the captured video data is
not transformed. If the signal strength is measured relative to latency
(for example, if the latency is increasing as a transmitter moves further
from the receiver), the transmitter can lower the data rate (i.e., lower
frames and/or resolution of a video signal) to attempt to reduce the
frequency of dropped packets and therefore reduce the perceived latency.

[0045] In Step 150, the captured video data is transmitted to the wireless
controller for display by the display device. In Step 160, the wireless
controller receives the transmitted video data and displays it using the
display device. The display device can process the video data in any
manner before displaying the video.

[0046]FIG. 10 is a flowchart that illustrates a method 200 of displaying
a digital signal according to one embodiment. In particular, the
illustrated method can insert noise in a transmitted digital video data
to alert a receiver of reduced signal strength. The steps illustrated in
FIG. 10 may be combined, modified, or deleted where appropriate.
Additional steps may also be added to the example operation. Furthermore,
the described steps may be performed in any suitable order.

[0047] Method 200 begins with Step 210. In Step 210, signal strength is
measured or monitored at a display device using any appropriate signal
strength detector. In the embodiment illustrated herein, the display
device is part of a wireless controller configured to control a mobile
device that captures video and transmits the captured video back to the
wireless controller for display using the display device. In other
embodiments, the. display device may be a part of a mobile or desktop
computing device configured to control the mobile device. The signal
strength that is measured may include transmission power, bandwidth, or
latency. The RoboteX Avatar® II robot can measure the latency between
the robot and the controller.

[0048] In Step 220, the measured signal strength is communicated to a
recording device, which may include a video camera. One example is the
RoboteX Avatar® II robot, which is able to capture video with a
front-mounted drive camera or a 360-degree camera. In Step 230, video
data is captured with the recording device at the native resolution of
the recording device. The captured video data is stored in any
appropriate location, e.g., locally in a storage unit of the recording
device.

[0049] In Step 240, noise is inserted into the video data by the recording
device based on the signal strength received from the display device. For
example, white snow noise artifacts can be inserted into the image as the
signal strength weakens. This would alert the viewer, user, or operator
that the strength of the signal containing the video is weakening. An
increased amount of noise can be inserted as the signal strength further
decreases. Conversely, noise artifacts can be removed as the signal
strength increases. Latency (as possibly measured in Step 210) could be
minimized, but as a RoboteX Avatar® II robot operates progressively
further from the RoboteX Avatar® II controller, the latency will
increase. To effectively minimize the effects of an increased latency
with a weaker signal strength (another possible side effect of the robot
operating further from the controller), the transmitter can lower the
frame rate, data rate, number of colors, or use another chosen technique
for lowering a signal data rate to allow for smaller packets to be
transmitted at a higher rate, reducing the likelihood of lost packets
and/or an increase in latency.

[0050] In Step 250, the video data having inserted noise is transmitted to
the display device. In Step 260, the wireless controller receives the
transmitted video data and displays it using the display device. The
display device can process the video data in any manner before displaying
the video.

[0051] Alternatively, noise artifacts can be inserted at the side of the
display device. In such an embodiment, the recording device sends the
captured video data to the display device, and appropriate hardware
and/or software at the side of the display device can insert the noise
artifacts prior to displaying the video on the display device.

[0052] In certain other embodiments, signal strength or latency can be
detected at the recording device and video quality can be adjusted or
noise artifacts inserted, as described above, based on this signal
strength or latency.

[0053] Although the present disclosure has been described with several
embodiments, a myriad of changes, variations, alterations,
transformations, and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the
art, and it is intended that the present disclosure encompass such
changes, variations, alterations, transformations, and modifications as
fall within the scope of the appended claims.